Do what with duct tape? 5 Fun Ideas

With so much designer duct tape around, it's easy to forget that this strong, sticky tape was very handy long before it became a crafting essential. Let's explore a few ways a trusty roll of plain silver duct tape can be an invaluable item for your household tool box:

Use it to seal tears in your vacuum cleaner hose. It can also seal a pinhole in a garden hose (for a while at least).

Use a strip to seal a trash bag closed in wet weather. The glue will stick even in the rain, and your garbage won't end up a soggy mess.

Because it's so tacky and moisture resistant, use duct tape to affix a key to the underside of your deck (for easy access when you lock yourself out of your home), or to the undercarriage of your automobile.

It's great for holding old books and magazines together.

Use thin strips of duct tape to hang outdoor holiday lights. They'll be easier to install and remove.

You can temporarily repair your car's water hose with it, so keep a roll of duct tape in the trunk of your car for emergencies.

Seal small gaps at the edges of window screens with it or to cover small holes in a window or door screen.

Hold cracked window glass together with duct tape until you can replace the window.

Apply it to the cuffs of jeans to keep them from fraying in the wash.

Use it as a temporary patch for a lost roof shingle.

Cover a crack or hole in your vinyl siding with it.

Use it to hold down a carpet patch or keep an area rug from shifting on a tile or vinyl floor.

Use it as a makeshift pool liner patch. If the rip or hole is small, it will hold pretty well for a few weeks.

Safire, William. "The Way We Live Now: 3-02-03: On Language; Why A Duck." New York Times. 3/2/03. (5/28/12). http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/02/magazine/the-way-we-live-now-3-02-03-on-language-why-a-duck.html